Apparatus for printing tickets

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for printing and forming tickets, consisting of a rotatable arm carrying a cylindrical platen whose surface describes an interior epicycloidal path so that printing stations arranged around the fundamental circle of the epicyloid can print information on a ticket held on the platen without the printing device skidding on the ticket; a cutting station and discharge station also being arranged on the fundamental circle so that a strip of ticket material being fed to the cutting station can be caught by a gripper on the platen, the strip being wound around the platen and cut to form a separate ticket; an inking roller is provided on the rotatable arm to ink printing devices at the printing stations before the platen reaches the printing stations.

United States Patent 1 i Wenger APPARATUS FOR PRINTING TICKETS [75] Inventor: Claude Wenger, Geneva,

Switzerland [73] Assignee: Sodeco Societe des Compteurs de Geneve S. A., Geneva, Switzerland [22] Filed: May 6, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 140,908

. [30] Foreign ApplicationPriority Data May 11, 1970 Switzerland 6943/70 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES, PATENTS.

3,213,786 10/1965 Mathurin 101/212 x 3,059,571 10/1962 101/91 X 1,560,536 11/1925 Christopherson 101/409 3,414,259 12/1968 Koch et a1. 101/409 x Dec. 4, 1973 Primary ExaminerRobert E. Pulfrey Assistant ExaminerEugene H. Eickholt Alt0rney-Holman & Stern [5 7 ABSTRACT Apparatus for printing and forming tickets, consisting of a rotatable arm carrying a cylindrical platen whose surface describes an interior epicycloidal path so that printing stations arranged around the fundamental circle of the epicyloid can print information on a ticket held on the platen without the printing device skidding on the ticket; a cutting station and discharge station also being arranged on the fundamental circle so that a strip of ticket material being fed to the cutting station can be caught by a gripper on the platen, the strip being wound around the platen and cut to form 21 separate ticket; an inking roller is provided on the rotatable arm to ink printing devices at the printing stations before the platen reaches the printing stations.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures mgmgnnm 4 mm 37763134 sum 1 a; 3

Wen/0r:

CLAUDE WENGER APPARATUS FOR PRINTING TICKETS 7 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for printing tickets and the like.

Devices for printing cards or tickets are known, for example for cash registers, having printingelements which rotate to print information on a stationary ticket. In such devices printing elements may be provided with either characters in relief which stamp the ticket or plates carried by rotating cylinders.

PRIOR ART Ithas been proposed for a machirieto have a mecha-' nism which allows several printing. operations to be effected' in succession on a card whichis carried along an epicycloidal circuit or loop. In this machinethe card to be printed is.advanced on a platen molded to the.periphery of a rotating carriage which travelskalong an epicycloidal circuit around the intemal part :of 'a-surface delimited by several successive printing positions. The

relationship between the circumference of the common surface and .the circumference of the surface defined by the platen is such that the'par't moves'backwards' at the rate of one printing position per epicycle, so that a card to be printed, placed on the platen, rolls after each successive e'picycle onto the printing facesof the. successive-printing' positions. Once printingtis' finished; the

platen effects one ormore epicycle which 'bringsit in front of adischarge station. The car'dnis held on the platen by means of 'a pair of clips.

This mechanism is ingeniousbut complicated and 3 relatively slow. In fact the platen support has to de scribe virtually one turn per printing impressionand then almost another turn in order to liberate they printed ticket. An increase in the speed .of.rotation :is

difficult by virtue of the considerable inertia ofhthe.

platen support, the eccentric movement'of 'whichkis' moreover unfavorable to a high speed). Also, the card: to be printed is not held on the platen sufficiently.well

for this not to likewise prevent high-speed rotation. The machine does not lend itself well 'to the printing of cards or tickets presenting a certain rigidity.- Discharge by means of a ribbon carrying the freshly-printed card along by means of friction is not without the risk. of slippage and of exposure of the ink. Inkingbyxmeansof a pad, the feeding of which with ink-is difficult andzwhich likewise'constitutes a drawback of the earliermachine. (US. Pat.- No. 3,213,786).

The word; ticket is hereinafter used in inorrestrictive sense but includes anysuitable :laminaersuchwas strips of paper, bills, credit cards, admission cards, bus

tickets and so on.

.oBJEcTs AND SUMMARY or THE INVENTION.

The object of the present invention is to. remove these drawbacks.

The present invention consists in an, apparatus forradius and the distance from the fundamental axis to the platen axis of the fundamental circle being. larger than the radius of the cylindrical shape of the platen, w

an inking device on the rotatable member arranged to be fed with ink,

at least one printing station arranged on the frame on the fundamental circle of the epicycloid,

a discharge station on the frame on the fundamental circle, whereby the ticket to be printed is detached from the strip at the cutting station, held on the platen by said gripper means, moved along to each said interior epicycloidal path, the printing station,

' printed with information, and transferred to the dischargestation on completion.

The accompanying drawings represent by way of example and embodiment according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETAILED. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The apparatus according to the invention comprises a circular fixed frame 1.(FIG. 1) around which are disposed a cutting station 2, printing positions 3,4,5 & 6, and -a discharge station 7. An arm 8 turning round an axle 9 arranged at the center of the frame 1 carries a gripping device 1 0 for gripping a ticket.

Close to the frame'are arranged spools of paper such as 11,'12,l3,14 & 15, which turn in vertical planes around a horizontal axle 16. g

A paper stripissues for example from spool 11 and is guided by a device of "known type .to the cutting station-"ZLThis'cutting station comprises a blade 17 (FIG. 3) mounted on a mobile arm 18 equipped with a push rod 19. The cutting station also includes a stoppingblock, 20 which swings under the effect imparted by the pressure of theend of 'thepaper strip when the strip hits the block'2'0; The stopping block- 20Ithen opens an electric circuit (not the paper. a

The device 10 for gripping the ticketiconsists of a drum which turns and comprises a semi-cylindrical platen arranged to carry theticket and two grippers 22 qnd 23 cooperating with the platen 21, the grippers being on the bearings 24 and 25. Thegrippers 22 and 23; pivoting respectively round the axles 26 and 27 carried by the drum, areworked by a push rod 28 which is -co-a'xial withthe drum and acts upon the grippers 22 and 23 via a cam 29 which is suitably shaped.'The grippers'22 and 23, when they are not being worked by the cam 29 of the push rod 28, are urged into aclosed position by springs 30 and 31. A further gripper comprising a concave limb 32 andaa rectilinear limb 33 ensures correct co'ntactbetween the ticket and the external surshown) controlling the unrolling of face of the platen 21 during the rolling of the paper. To this end the limb 33 of this further gripper is pivoted around an axle 34 carried by the arm 8 and is submitted, by an intermediary of the adjustable cross-bar 35, to the action of a push rod 36 controlled by a camway 41 (FIG. 2) fixed on the support. The further gripper is acted on by spring 37 which is arranged to pull at 38 on the free end of the limb 33.

The gripping device also comprises at its lower part a pinion 39 meshing with an intermediary pinion 45, which in turn meshes with toothed ring 40, which is fixed to the frame 1. Thus it may be seen that, when the arm 8 pivots round the axle 9, the gripping device is moved by two rotational movements, one around the axle 9, the other around the axle of the drum by virtue of the-interaction of the pinion 39- and the ring 40. These two rotational movements are of course dependent on the intermediary pinion 45 between the pinions 39 and the ring 40 which imparts to the drum a rotational movement on itself in reverse direction to the rotational movement of the arm 8.

The respective dimensions of the pinions and ring are chosen in such a way that the external cylindrical surface of the platen 21, and thus the outer surface of the ticket, rolls without slipping on the imprinting surfaces of the printing impression stations 3,4,5 & 6.

The camway 41 controls the push rod 28 and its profile is formed so that the movement of the grippers 22,23 & 32 is synchronized with the angular position of the arm 8, and thus that of the gripping device.

When paper strip 42, emerging from the spool 11, reaches the cutting station 2, its end comes to rest on the stop which opens the electric circuit which controls the unrolling of the paper.

When the gripping device, (see FIG. 3) in the course of its rotation movement around the axle 9, arrives at and facing the cutting station, the gripper 22, worked by the push rod 28, closes on bearing surface 24 and grips the paper strip. The arm 8 continuing to rotate in the direction shown by the arrow f2, the paper strip 42 is wound around the platen 21. The turning arm 8 then arrives at an angular position such that a push rod 19, in cooperation with a camming slope on the external face of arm 8, sets in motion the blade 17 which cuts the paper strip to the required length to form a ticket. In the next stage, the ticket which has been formed, is wound completely around the platen 21, the push rod 28 worked by the camway 41 controls the closure of the gripper 23. The ticket, suitably held on the platen 21 by the gripper 32 while it is rolling around, is then held by the grippers 22 & 23, and at this stage the gripper 32 pivots into the inoperative position under the influence of the push rod 36.

Meanwhile the external face of the arm 8 no longer acting on the push rod 19 of the cutting device, the blade 17 returns to its initial position under the influence of return spring 44.

The arm 8 continuing its rotation in the direction indicated by the arrow f1, the device passes the various printing stations and the surface of the ticket rolls, without slipping on the printing impressionsurfaces of the stations 3,4,5 & 6. In a preferred embodiment of the invention these printing impression stations are of two types. The first type comprises drums presenting numbers or letters in relief printing on the ticket such information as date, price, number, sequence number. The second type of printing station comprises plates on 4 a band printing on the ticke't such information as'destination, type of materiahtype of ticket. I

When the arm 8 arrives at discharge station 7 the camway 41 acts on the push rod 28 so as to -"e'p ei in'succession the grippers and 23. The ticketjfreed from the gripping device, is collected in a receptacle;

The inking of the printing surfaces takes rill'aceautomatically and immediately prior to the passage? of the ticket onto the printing surface by means of aljd vice with inking rollers'which are mounted on the This device is shown in FIG. 3. It comprises a support 46 pivoting around an axle 47 fixed on a lateral prolongation of the arm 8. Also on the axle 47 there is rotatably mounted an inking roller 48, which is connected to a pinion 49 meshing with an intermediate pinion 50 which in turn meshes with pinion 39 of the platen 21. Thus the inking roller 48 rotates in the same direction as the platen 21 onto the printing surfaces. The inking roller 48 is fed by a pre-inked roller 51 connected to a pinion 5 2 meshing with and rotated by the pinion 49. This pre-inked roller 51 and its pinion 52 are mounted detachably on the support 46, their axle 53 being mounted in a lateral cranked slot 54 of the support 46. The axle 53 is held by means of a notch 55 of a slide 56 guided on the support 46 by two lugs 57 and 58 as well as by a shaft 59, the pressure with which the preinked roller 51 rests againstthe inking roller 48 being adjustable by means of a screw 60 which causes a flange 62 to act on spring 61 disposed between the slide 56 and the flange 62. The inking roller 48 is applied against the printing surfaces by means of a spring 63 acting between the support 46 and a projection 64. Into this projection 64 there is screwed also a regulating screw 65 limiting the pivoting of the support46 under the influence of the spring 63 and permitting control of the limit position of the inking roller 48 with respect to the printing surfaces. The support 46 also carries a lug 66 arranged to cooperate with a movable camway 67. When it is not required to print on one or several printing stations, the camway 67 is placed by means (not shown) 'into the trajectory of the lug 66, which causes a slight pivoting of the support 46 around its axle 47.

4 In the embodiment the r/R ratio of radius of platen (r) to distance from the platen axis to the fundamental axis (R) allows the obtaining of several printing impressions in a single turn of the arms and a high speed by virtue of the low inertia factor of the platen. The use of the two grippers assures good fixation of the ticket which is in no danger of slipping off the platen and escaping even at high speed.

I claim: 7

1. An apparatus for printing tickets and the like, comprising a frame a cutting station mounted on the frame, said cutting station being provided with means for detaching a ticket from a strip of ticket material, a rotatable member mounted on the frame, the cutting station being arranged to feed the ticket to the rotatable member, a platen mounted on the rotatable member, the platen being rotatable about a platen axis and having a working surface of at least part cylindrical shape, the platen having a gripper means for holding the ticket, driving means for driving the platen and rotatable member, the platen being driven for rotation by the driving means dependent on the speed of the rotatable member so that a point on the working surface of the platen is arranged to travel an interior epicycloid, the axis of the fundamental circle of the epicycloid on the fundamental circle of the epicycloid, a discharge station on the frame on the fundamental circle, whereby the ticket to be printed is detached from the strip at the cutting station, held on the platen by the gripper means moved along the interior epicycloidal path, to each said printing station, printed with information, and transferred to the discharge station on completion.

2. The apparatus for printing tickets and the like as claimed in claim. 1, in which the platen is connected to a cog-wheel or pinion engageable with a reversing cogwheel or pinion mounted on the rotatable member, the reversing cog-wheel or pinion beingengageable with a toothed ring fixed in relation to the stations, and whose axis is coaxial with the axis of the rotatable member.

3. The apparatus for printing tickets and the like as claimed in claim 1 in which the inking device is an inking roller, and means inking the inking roller rotatively with the platen.

4. An apparatus for printing tickets and the like comprising a frame, a cutting station mounted on the frame, said cutting station being. provided with means for detaching a ticket from a strip of ticket material, a rotatable member mounted on the frame, the cutting station being arranged to feed the ticket to the rotatable member, a platen mounted on the rotatable member, the platen being rotatable about a platen axis and having a working surface of at least part cylindrical shape, the platen having a gripper means for holding the ticket, driving means for driving the platen and rotatable member, the'platen being driven for rotation by the driving means dependent on the speed of the rotatable member so that a point on the working surface of the platen is arranged to travel an interior epicycloid, the axis of the fundamental circle of the epicycloid being the axis of the rotatable member, the radius of the fundamental circle and the distance from the fundamental axis to the platen axis being larger than the radius of the cylindrical shape of the platen, an inking device on the rotatable member arranged to be fed with ink, at least one printing station arranged on the frame on the fundamental circle of the epicycloid, a discharge station on the frame on the fundamental circle, whereby the ticket to be'printed is detached from the strip at the cutting station, held on the platen by the gripper means, moved along the interior epicycloidal path, to

each said printing station, printed with information, and transferred to the discharge station on completion, and means for controlling the gripper means including a cam rotatable with respect to the platen and mounted on the platen axis, with said cam being arranged to act on the gripper means. I

5. An apparatus for printing tickets and the like comprising a frame, a cutting station mounted on the frame, said cutting station being provided with means for detaching a ticket from a strip of ticket material, a rotatable rnember mounted on the frame, the cutting station being arranged to feed the ticket to the rotatable member, a platen mounted on the rotatable member, the platen being rotatable about a platen axis having a working surface of at least part cylindrical shape, the platen having a gripper means for holding the ticket, driving means for driving the platen and rotatable member, the platen being driven for rotation by the driving means dependent on the speed of the rotatable member so that a point on the working surface of the platen is arranged to travel an interior epicycloid, the axis of the fundamental circle of the epicycloid being the axis of the rotatable member, the radius of the fundamental circle and the distance from the fundamental axis to the platen axis being larger than the radius of the cylindrical shape of the platen, an inking device on the rotatable member arranged to be fed with ink, at least one printing station arranged on the frame on the fundamental circle of the epicycloid, a discharge station on the frame on the fundamental circle, whereby the ticket to be printed is detached from the strip at the cutting station, held on the platen by the gripper means, moved along the interior epicycloidal path, to each said printing station, printed with information, and transferred to the discharge station on completion, and in which the gripper means includes two grippers arranged to clamp each end of the ticket to the platen means for controlling the gripper means including a rod coaxially with the platen axis, and the rod having at one end a cam whose surface acts outwardly from the axis to move the grippers into engagement with the ticket.

6. The apparatus for printing tickets and the like as claimed in claim 5, in which the rotatable member carries a third gripper having a gripping surface curved in relation to the curve of the platen, and a push rod actuating the third gripper, and a camway on a fixed part of the frame actuating the: push rod whereby the third gripper applies the strip of ticket material to the platen before the ticket is cut and the'two first grippers move into engagement with the ticket. 

1. An apparatus for printing tickets and the like, comprising a frame a cutting station mounted on the frame, said cutting station being provided with means for detaching a ticket from a strip of ticket material, a rotatable member mounted on the frame, the cutting station being arranged to feed the ticket to the rotatable member, a platen mounted on the rotatable member, the platen being rotatable about a platen axis and having a working surface of at least part cylindrical shape, the platen having a gripper means for holding the ticket, driving means for driving the platen and rotatable member, the platen being driven for rotation by the driving means dependent on the speed of the rotatable member so that a point on the working surface of the platen is arranged to travel an interior epicycloid, the axis of the fundamental circle of the epicycloid being the axis of the rotatable member, the radius of the fundamental circle and the distance from the fundamental axis to the platen axis being larger than the radius of the cylindrical shape of the platen, an inking device on the rotatable member arranged to be fed with ink, at least one printing station arranged on the frame on the fundamental circle of the epicycloid, a discharge station on the frame on the fundamental circle, whereby the ticket to be printed is detached from the strip at the cutting station, held on the platen by the gripper means moved along the interior epicycloidal path, to each said printing station, printed with information, and transferred to the discharge station on completion.
 2. The apparatus for printing tickets and the like as claimed in claim 1, in which the platen is connected to a cog-wheel or pinion engageable with a reversing cog-wheel or pinion mounted on the rotatable member, the reversing cog-wheel or pinion being engageable with a toothEd ring fixed in relation to the stations, and whose axis is coaxial with the axis of the rotatable member.
 3. The apparatus for printing tickets and the like as claimed in claim 1 in which the inking device is an inking roller, and means inking the inking roller rotatively with the platen.
 4. An apparatus for printing tickets and the like comprising a frame, a cutting station mounted on the frame, said cutting station being provided with means for detaching a ticket from a strip of ticket material, a rotatable member mounted on the frame, the cutting station being arranged to feed the ticket to the rotatable member, a platen mounted on the rotatable member, the platen being rotatable about a platen axis and having a working surface of at least part cylindrical shape, the platen having a gripper means for holding the ticket, driving means for driving the platen and rotatable member, the platen being driven for rotation by the driving means dependent on the speed of the rotatable member so that a point on the working surface of the platen is arranged to travel an interior epicycloid, the axis of the fundamental circle of the epicycloid being the axis of the rotatable member, the radius of the fundamental circle and the distance from the fundamental axis to the platen axis being larger than the radius of the cylindrical shape of the platen, an inking device on the rotatable member arranged to be fed with ink, at least one printing station arranged on the frame on the fundamental circle of the epicycloid, a discharge station on the frame on the fundamental circle, whereby the ticket to be printed is detached from the strip at the cutting station, held on the platen by the gripper means, moved along the interior epicycloidal path, to each said printing station, printed with information, and transferred to the discharge station on completion, and means for controlling the gripper means including a cam rotatable with respect to the platen and mounted on the platen axis, with said cam being arranged to act on the gripper means.
 5. An apparatus for printing tickets and the like comprising a frame, a cutting station mounted on the frame, said cutting station being provided with means for detaching a ticket from a strip of ticket material, a rotatable member mounted on the frame, the cutting station being arranged to feed the ticket to the rotatable member, a platen mounted on the rotatable member, the platen being rotatable about a platen axis having a working surface of at least part cylindrical shape, the platen having a gripper means for holding the ticket, driving means for driving the platen and rotatable member, the platen being driven for rotation by the driving means dependent on the speed of the rotatable member so that a point on the working surface of the platen is arranged to travel an interior epicycloid, the axis of the fundamental circle of the epicycloid being the axis of the rotatable member, the radius of the fundamental circle and the distance from the fundamental axis to the platen axis being larger than the radius of the cylindrical shape of the platen, an inking device on the rotatable member arranged to be fed with ink, at least one printing station arranged on the frame on the fundamental circle of the epicycloid, a discharge station on the frame on the fundamental circle, whereby the ticket to be printed is detached from the strip at the cutting station, held on the platen by the gripper means, moved along the interior epicycloidal path, to each said printing station, printed with information, and transferred to the discharge station on completion, and in which the gripper means includes two grippers arranged to clamp each end of the ticket to the platen means for controlling the gripper means including a rod coaxially with the platen axis, and the rod having at one end a cam whose surfact acts outwardly from the axis to move the grippers into engagement with the ticket.
 6. The apparatus for printing tickets and the like as claimed in claim 5, in Which the rotatable member carries a third gripper having a gripping surface curved in relation to the curve of the platen, and a push rod actuating the third gripper, and a camway on a fixed part of the frame actuating the push rod whereby the third gripper applies the strip of ticket material to the platen before the ticket is cut and the two first grippers move into engagement with the ticket. 